Revisiting the concepts of sin, forgiveness and redemption
This thing with Letterman and his "apology" or "admission" of his affairs - and all the other public figures before him - are really bugging me. They all say the same thing: "I made a mistake." And there's an implied request in that for us to forgive them their "mistakes." And then there's an expectation that the public should give him credit these guys credit for telling the truth - after being caught.
Yes, a "mistake" is a wrong, but it most often carries the connotation of being an accident brought on by ignorance, ineptitude or poor judgment.
Guys who have affairs, or steal, or lie or whatever else they are "apologizing" for are not making "mistakes." They are willfully, and knowingly doing wrong.
And it's not the sex that's a problem, it's the LYING, the CHEATING that's the problem. They hide it because they KNOW it it wrong for them to do. And thinking they might get away with it is not excused by "poor judgment."
And it's not just semantics that's bothering me, it's the refusal to take real responsibility and OWN it. An admission that is really just a request for forgiveness makes us responsible for a satisfactory resolution to the problem they created.
What's missing is a good synonym for "sin" - willfully, knowingly doing wrong. When you truly own that you have "sinned," there's a price to pay. There's atonement. And forgiveness isn't something that's simply granted. It's something that must be earned.
Yes, a "mistake" is a wrong, but it most often carries the connotation of being an accident brought on by ignorance, ineptitude or poor judgment.
Guys who have affairs, or steal, or lie or whatever else they are "apologizing" for are not making "mistakes." They are willfully, and knowingly doing wrong.
And it's not the sex that's a problem, it's the LYING, the CHEATING that's the problem. They hide it because they KNOW it it wrong for them to do. And thinking they might get away with it is not excused by "poor judgment."
And it's not just semantics that's bothering me, it's the refusal to take real responsibility and OWN it. An admission that is really just a request for forgiveness makes us responsible for a satisfactory resolution to the problem they created.
What's missing is a good synonym for "sin" - willfully, knowingly doing wrong. When you truly own that you have "sinned," there's a price to pay. There's atonement. And forgiveness isn't something that's simply granted. It's something that must be earned.